Description: Brief article on my SOA preliminary exam taking process. Includes specific steps taken on a daily basis to earn a passing mark for SOA Exams P, C, FM, and IFM.

Description: This article, Spreadsheet Controls Add Risk Resilience, spotlights why spreadsheets have stood the test of time and how they help contribute to an actuary’s success. It also discusses common causes of data integrity issues relative to spreadsheets. And, offers insight into controls that can be utilized to helps actuaries solve these issues and ensure the accuracy and consistency of the data on which they base their analysis.

Description: This article Provides a description of an IRS Directive that provides a safe harbor tax reporting position for computing tax reserves for pre-2018 tax years for annuity contracts subject to AG43 and VM-21 and life insurance contracts subject to VM-20 Principal Based Reserves methods. The safe harbor is required to be implemented on the 2017 tax return, with certain spread amounts in some cases to future tax years starting in 2018.

Description: This paper presents the probabilistic concepts underlying measurement of asset adequacy in a simplified way. Discussions of this paper are included.

Description: This paper presents a model of the progression of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome [AIDS] epidemic in the United States. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1989, Vol. 41.

Description: This paper presents a theoretical approach to the valuation of options on bonds, a computer model for valuing such options, an application of options theory to evaluate the risk of call options on corporate bonds, and an application of options theory to price the risk of deposit antiselection on certain GICs sold to employee savings plans. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1985, Vol. 37.

Description: This paper proposes a new interpretation of probability, the quantum interpretation of probability, so named because it adapts certain of the principles of quantum mechanics. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1980, Vol. 32.

Description: This paper describes the development of the net annual claim costs, net premiums, and reserve factors that comprise the 1974 Medical Expense Tables. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1978, Vol. 30.

Description: Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), groups with 50 or less full time employee equivalents will eventually be subject to the ACA’s modified community rating rules. While some groups will see lower premiums than they would have without the ACA, others will see significant premium increases. Many of the latter type opted for transitional relief beginning in 2014 to avoid the ACA as long as possible. With the end of transitional relief approaching in 2018, what will these groups do? One option will be to self-insure using a product generically termed Level Funding.

Description: Results of an SOA survey regarding the expectation for 2015 accruals for 3Rs and cost sharing reduction payments